Escape The Mundane With Asian Fusion, Craft Beer And Cocktails, And Skyline Views At Brooklyn's Kimoto Rooftop
Here's a new rooftop to add to your list: Kimoto Rooftop in Brooklyn. Most Manhattanites spend all day (and sometimes night) working in their borough's downtown area. So why stay there any longer than you have to when you're free?
Escape the Manhattan bubble and hop on over to Brooklyn where this rooftop and lounge offers just as cool of a nightlife/after-work scene as any other place in the city.
The views are naturally gorgeous. The vibe is chic, trendy, and modern. The food is way better than your average, overpriced bar bites, and the menu boasts a nice selection of Asian-inspired food, innovative cocktails, and craft beers.
Lesser-seen beers offered included the Yo-Ho Sorry Yuzu Salt Ale, a light, Japan ale brewed with fresh yuzu juice and peel; and the Ginga Ninja, a tropical red IPA ale brewed with six pounds of ginger in each batch. These are two fruitier beers that even myself — a non-beer drinker (for the most part) — would enjoy.
My favorite cocktails were the sweet, refreshing, and effervescent ones. If you're like me, you'll be a fan of the No Sleep Till, with Aperol, lychee, sparkling wine, lemon, and mint; the Mekong Mule, with Kaffir lime-infused Absolut, sake, jasmine, mint, lime, and ginger beer; as well as the Lemongrass Vietnamese, with black pepper, Bombay Sapphire East, Mizu Shochu, and raspberry.
Being of half-Asian descent, I'm always a huge fan of the fusions. Kimoto Rooftop's Asian-inspired menu didn't disappoint. The appetizer selection is diverse and features items such as the beef Bulgogi tacos, with homemade kimchi slaw, Asian pear, and toasted sesame; Sriracha buffalo, garlic soy, or gochujang barbecue wings; tuna tartare with a yuzu guacamole, pickled jalapeño, and a spicy aïoli; and the crunchy tempura basket, that comes with shrimp, a whole calamari skewer, a potato croquette, tonkatsu, and wasabi mayo.
If you're a bit hungrier, I recommend the Kobe beef burger (yum!) which is served with a spicy/sweet kimchi slaw, gochujang barbecue, white truffle oil, and sprouts, or the crispy, juicy pork cutlet with tonkatsu, kewpie mayo, and red cabbage slaw.
This menu, by chef Brian Tsao of Manhattan's Mira Sushi & Izakaya, is flavorful, eclectic, and an excellent merging of traditional American and Asian cuisines. Plus, with the live DJ, bumping music, and easy-to-find location, it's a great place to start or end the night.